The very interesting man who runs Aiba, the governing body for amateur boxing, sent the sport into a minor frenzy this week when he suggested – not stated – that professionals would be able to box in the Olympics ...
the upcoming Olympics, that is, in Rio.
the upcoming Olympics, that is, in Rio.
Two issues spring to mind.
Firstly, elite amateur boxing is already professional, with two competitions set aside for the very best to compete against each other at individual and franchised club levels. These fighters, who compete without headguards over five rounds, are professional in every acknowledged sense, subsidised by their own governing bodies or by the teams for whom they compete.
Second, why does Dr Wu want to rush this through? There has hitherto been no discernible urgency on the issue. It might make sense to move into line with other professional sports at the Olympics, such as tennis and golf – although that, also, is another argument to be had.
But what is obvious is the horse bolted some time ago. Where in the Olympic movement does amateurism linger? On the very fringes. Archery, fencing, that rubbing-the-ice-with-a-mop thing from Scotland, and a few others perhaps.
But the main highway of international sport is now crammed with highly expensive motors whizzing at high speed to ever greater riches. The Olympics as we thought we knew it died a very long time ago. Some would say that is no bad thing, given the hypocrisy that attended the sham, and the high-handedness of the people who were the movement’s detached overlords.
But, as for boxing, this is now an intriguing scenario. There seems little chance that Anthony Joshua, for instance, will be tempted – or even have the time – to return to the circumstances of his greatest amateur triumph and reach for a second gold medal to go with the one he won in London in 2012.
However, what of Floyd Mayweather, cruelly denied Olympic gold long ago and now allegedly retired? How he would love a chance to strut the world stage again.
I have asked his people, and his people say they are putting the question to him. Expect an answer of sorts next week ... if he is not busy on another meet-and-greet tour, such as the one that left punters just a little less than gob-smacked in the UK recently.
It is a bold statement of intent by Dr Wu, if not altogether coherent or logical. I would bet that all the genuine “amateurs” who have been striving for a place in Rio over the past four years will be less than pleased if they lose out on a place to boxers who threw away their vests a long time ago. But the fight game is always full of surprises.
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